Last year was the coldest on record in Dubuque, and the sixth coldest in the Quad Cities. In Dubuque, 2014's average temperature was 43.7 degrees, breaking the record of 43.8 set in 1875. In the Quad Cities, last year's average temperature was 3.5 degrees colder than usual at 47.3 degrees.
Meteorologist Tim Gross, from the National Weather Service in Davenport, says lots of snow on the ground last January and February made it colder. And cold Canadian air arrived after several times the jet stream dropped to the south.
In Dubuque and the Quad Cities, precipitation was nearly normal for the year.
But last month, Gross says only a trace of snow fell at the airport in Moline.
The forecast for this month and February includes slightly colder than average temperatures. And Gross says there are no signs we'll get more or less snow than usual.
